The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 05: Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English
Philosophy
The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 05: Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English
German literature -- 19th century -- Translations into English; German literature -- 20th century -- Translations into English
Then he rummaged in his wallet, and finally produced from among all
sorts of rubbish an old, tattered map of the country, in the corner
of which the emperor in his royal robes was still to be discerned, a
sceptre in his right hand, the orb in his left. This map he carefully
spread out upon the ground; the others drew nearer, and they all
consulted together as to their route.
"The vacation is nearly over," said one; "let us turn to the left as
soon as we leave Linz, so as to be in Prague in time." "Upon my word!"
exclaimed the cornetist. "Whom do you propose to pipe to on that road?
Nobody there save wood-choppers and charcoal-burners; no culture nor
taste for art--no station where one can spend a night for nothing!"
"Oh, nonsense!" rejoined the other. "I like the peasants best;
they know where the shoe pinches, and are not so particular if
you sometimes blow a false note." "That is, you have no _point
d'honneur_," said the cornetist. "_Odi profanum vulgus et arceo_, as
the Latin has it." "Well, there must be some churches on the road,"
struck in the third; "we can stop at the Herr Pastors'." "No, I thank
you," said the cornetist; "they give little money, but long sermons on
the folly of philandering about the world when we might be acquiring
knowledge, and they wax specially eloquent when they sniff in me a
future member of their fraternity. No, no, _clericus clericum non
decimat_. But why be in such a hurry? The Herr Professors are still
at Carlsbad, and are sure not to be precise about the very day." "Nay,
_distinguendum est inter et inter_," replied the other; "_quod licet
Jovi, non licet bovi_!"
I now saw that they were students from Prague, and I conceived a
great respect for them, especially as they spoke Latin like their
mother-tongue. "Is the gentleman a student?" the cornetist asked me. I
replied modestly that I had always been very fond of study, but that I
had had no money. "That's of no consequence," said the cornetist; "we
have neither money nor rich patrons, but we get along by mother-wit.
_Aurora musis amica_, which means, being interpreted, 'Do not waste
too much time at breakfast.' But when the bells at noon echo from
tower to tower, and from mountain to mountain, and the scholars crowd
out of the old dark lecture-room, and swarm shouting through the
streets, we betake us to the Capuchin monastery, to the father who
presides in the refectory, where there is sure to be a table spread
for us, or if not actually spread, there will be at least a dish
apiece, and we fall to, and perfect ourselves at the same time in our
Latin. So you see we study right ahead from day to day. And when at
last the vacation comes, and all the others depart for their homes,
by coach or on horseback, then we stroll forth through the streets and
through the city gate with our instruments under our cloaks and the
world before us."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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